1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to presenting an immersive virtual environment to users of that environment; specifically, to performing searches of objects in the immersive environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
A virtual world is a simulated environment in which users may interact with one another via avatars. Users may also interact with virtual objects and locations of the virtual world. An avatar generally provides a graphical representation of an individual within the virtual world environment. Avatars are usually presented to other users as two or three-dimensional graphical representations of human or human-like images. Frequently, virtual worlds allow multiple users to enter and interact with one another. Virtual worlds provide an immersive environment as they typically appear similar to the real world, with real world rules such as gravity, topography, locomotion, real-time actions, and communication. Communication may be in the form of text messages sent between avatars, but may also include real-time voice and/or video communications.
Virtual worlds may be persistent. A persistent world provides an immersive environment (e.g., a fantasy setting used as a setting for a role-playing game) that is generally always available, and world events continue to occur, regardless of the presence of a given avatar. Thus, unlike many conventional online multi-player games or multi-user environments, the plot and events continue to develop even while a user is not present within the virtual environment.